Keeping Secrets
by BenslerFanatic
Summary: A lot can change in a matter of minutes. What if there had been a large secret hanging over everything that you've ever known for the past 4 years? What if the reason for your pain was a lie? What if someone whom you thought had been taken, returned? E/O * ON HOLD FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE*
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Elliot sat on the cold ground, in front of a large marble headstone. It was the one place that he would regularly visit at the same time every week, if not more than once during the week. The headstone marked the final resting place for his one true love, the person whom meant more to him than anyone else in the entire world, except for maybe his children. He focused his attention to arranging the bouquets of flowers which covered her grave, left by others who had clearly come seeking the solace of her company. In a way, this was very similar to the reason for his visits today. Today was more than just a usual visit though, he didn't just want to clear his head with her or seek clarity after events of the day. Today's visit was due to an anniversary, not a positive anniversary but the anniversary of her death. It was the day which he had lost his one true love in a matter of minutes. Elliot continued to arrange the flowers and try to put words together in his head, into sentences that would make sense when he spoke them.

Elliot didn't have the words to be able to explain what he was feeling right now, he couldn't string the sentences together to explain how much pain he was feeling. He didn't have the ability to explain how his heart still ached each and every day, for her. How he hurt exactly the same way every single day for the past 4 years, since she'd been so cruelly taken away from this world, away from him. He couldn't quite believe that it had really been 4 years since that fatal day at the precinct, the day where a bullet which was aimed for him, had missed and killed her. The same bullet which had then felt like it hit him in the process, when his heart was figuratively shattered into a million pieces, in losing the woman he loved.

Elliot hadn't been the same since that day, he had pushed almost everyone who cared for him away. The only thing that he wanted was her. The only thing that would change how he was feeling, would if he could bring her back from the dead and have her with him once more. Not to mention, he still felt incredibly guilty about the fact that it should be him lying in that grave and not her, the bullet was meant for him. It was the same guilt that was eating him up inside every hour of the day, it had done so in the same way every day for the last 4 years. To this day, Elliot had a very cold personality towards everyone around him, particularly those who worked in the Special Victims Unit. He wanted to leave, he wanted to quit his position there but every time he tried, Cragen brought him back.

Elliot had tried to quit numerous times but Cragen simply wouldn't let him. Even when he'd purposely tried to get himself fired, Cragen had given him time off but wouldn't let him go. Elliot was not able to successfully work with anyone else in the unit, everyone had complained and wouldn't work with him, so Elliot knew he had to go. However Cragen had not let him leave or transferred him, he simply made it so Elliot would work solo on cases till he corrected his behaviour. Every time Elliot tried to leave, Cragen would use the excuse 'she would want you here, I know that and I know she'd want me to make sure to look out for you'. But Elliot wasn't believing of any of that, no one truly knew Olivia the way he felt that he did.

"Hey, it's me" Elliot started to say, once all the flowers were organised and the words were finally coming to him.  
"I brought you roses today, I know how much you love them. My kids are all sending their love, Eli even drew you a picture, of all of us. The twins are going to come and see you themselves tomorrow" Elliot continued, as he took in the surrounding graves, they were all covered with flowers, showing that they all regularly had visitors too.  
"You know I can't believe it's been 4 years...4 years since you were taken and yet I still feel the pain like its been an hour. Everyone keeps telling me that I'll start to feel normal again soon but I don't see how that will be possible, you're not here! Things can't ever be normal without you, you are everything to me. I know that you're watching over me and all of us here, but you have no idea how much I wish you were here now...God Liv, you have no idea how badly I want you to be here" Elliot paused, wiping away the tears he had let escape.

"You and I were finally happy, we were together and happier than every but you just had to be taken away from me once we had that happiness. Now I feel like I don't know what happiness is anymore" Elliot continued, wiping away all the tears which were falling. This was the only place that he let himself feel like this and actually cry, he could let the pain he was in, show without issue here. Olivia gave him comfort and allowed him to put the barriers down, he would never cry or show any other emotion anywhere else.  
"I tried to leave again this week, Cragen just won't let me go though. I wish you could give him some sign that you would accept me leaving. He keeps telling me that you would want me to be there, but how can I be happy there without you? I just can't, it's too hard and far too painful. The whole place reminds me so much of you and it reminds me of what we had before I lost it all. I can't do this anymore Liv!" Elliot cried, resting his head against her headstone, trying to find some comfort in being near her like this.

* * *

Finn and Don stood back from the graves, under the shade of the rather old oak tree, where they had parked. They were watching Elliot. They had come just to make sure that Elliot wasn't completely alone on a day like today, and that he couldn't do something stupid. They hated seeing him in so much pain, still from Olivia's death. But they also shared one of the biggest secrets, one they had never told Elliot and if the secret got to him, it would change his world completely.  
"Its been 4 years and you still haven't let him walk out that door" Finn stated, growing more and more concerned for his pained friend. Elliot and Finn didn't have the best relationship for a variety of reasons, but Finn still considered him a friend.  
"I promised her that I would look out for him. The only way I can do that properly, is to continue to have him in my unit and working in Special Victims" Don explained.  
"He really wants to leave though, he's struggling to handle it all anymore and his rage is getting worse" Finn replied.  
"He can't handle it due to losing her, he wants to leave because he lost her. She's coming back though" Don answered, smiling over to the younger detective. He had been rather happy when he'd received this news this morning, with a special phone call.

"What? Really? When? What about the hit though? Is it safe for her to come back?" Finn asked, firing off a million questions at once.  
"Hernandez was killed in a car accident yesterday. The reports say that he was burnt to a crisp in the explosion and they really believe that with this, the threat on Olivia's life has ended. So, she's free to return to New York whenever she wishes to do so. I have confirmed that she is coming back with Ella and arrives early next week" Don explained, trying to recount all the information which he had been told this morning.  
"Who's Ella? Also, she's going to return and he has absolutely no knowledge of any of this?" Finn clarified as the pair turned their attention back to their heartbroken friend. Everything that had been their lives for the past 4 years was about to change. There was so much that had happened and would need explaining from both parties involved. But, Olivia Benson was coming back from the dead.

_**A/N: There we have it, the first chapter of my brand new story. So Olivia's no really dead? Who is Ella and how is Elliot going to handle Olivia's return? Well I guess you'll have to wait to see for the next chapter. Don't worry, I'm not forgetting about Returning For You, I've just hit writers block with that one for the moment and this idea wouldn't leave alone till I wrote it.**_

_**But leave me a review of this and let me know what you think?**_  
_**Until Next Time ;)**_


	2. Returning

**Returning**

Olivia walked up the walkway, heading to the arrival hall at John F Kennedy Airport from her plane. She couldn't quite believe that she was finally back, like _actually _back in New York, back in her home city. She couldn't believe that she would finally be able to be known as Olivia Benson again, rather than being addressed as 'Alicia Styles' which had been her name for the past 4 years. She stood to the side of the walkway at the top, waiting for her daughter Ella, who was coming behind her. Ella was dawdling due to being still very tired from their journey this morning. She had slept most of the flight here and only woken when Olivia let her know they were in New York. Today had already been such a big day for the little girl, considering she was only 3 and a half years old. The flight to New York had left at 7:30 this morning, which meant that they had been getting up slightly before 4:30am to ensure that they could be ready and on the way to the airport with plenty of time to make their flight. It was only 10am now but both were feeling rather tired and worn out from all of their travels today. Olivia intended to make their way to their new home, freshen up a little and then to head to the precinct this afternoon. She knew that in the state which Ella was in right now, she would not be able to cope well with all the new people if they were to go straight to the precinct. Ella would likely have a meltdown whilst there with all the people and the last thing that Olivia wanted was for Ella to have a meltdown in somewhere public, she would try to avoid it at all costs.

"Come here, little bug...I know you're tired but I promise you we haven't got that much further to go, we're here now" Olivia said, using the pet name for her daughter as a sign of affection whilst she scooped the little girl up into her arms.  
"New Yok?" Ella clarified, as she held on to Olivia and Olivia just placed a soft kiss on her head.  
"That's right! We're in New York. Now we just need to get our bags and then we'll head to our new home" Olivia explained, already knowing that Ella was one who liked to know where they were going and what they were doing next.  
"Den we go daddy?" Ella asked, she was looking forward to meeting her father for the first time. Whilst for Olivia, that thought was a little nerve-wrecking, she wasn't sure how that first meeting was going to go.  
"Well, I think we need a nap first. But yes, this afternoon we will go and see my old friends and your daddy" Olivia explained, as they reached baggage claim.

Olivia had come back to New York for the main reason, so Ella could meet and know her father properly. Whilst Olivia wanted to be near her friends again, the main reason for returning to New York was Ella. Olivia had grown up without knowing her father and didn't really know anything about him other than the fact that he raped her mother. Olivia didn't want Ella to grow up the same way, she wanted Ella to know her father and how amazing he was.  
Ever since Ella had been born, Olivia had made it her mission for Ella to know who her father was. Due to their situation, she had never been able to give Ella the opportunity to meet him yet. But Olivia had told her little girl all about out, even that her name was a version of his, so that he would always be with her. The only problem in all of this was she wasn't able to do the same for Ella's father, he didn't know she existed. In fact, none of Olivia's old friends did, except for Don who had been told about Olivia's pregnancy and the baby. He'd never met Ella though.

Olivia had her reasons for not telling Elliot that she was alive or even that she was pregnant, the main of which was the fact she knew that he'd follow her. He would fight to be with her, even when she went into witness protection. She couldn't allow him to do that, he had a family and Olivia didn't know if she'd ever be able to come back to New York. Elliot had 5 children who needed him and she couldn't be someone to ask him to just leave everything and come with her, when she didn't know if she could ever come back. But now that they were finally back in New York, she was nervous about how Elliot was going to be, and how he was going to react to the fact that he now had a daughter.

* * *

Elliot had just returned from the medical examiners office when he saw Finn was watching him. Elliot had been in a fight with another officer at the end of last week and been requested to take some time off. As he'd still had a lot of time off saved up, he decided to take the whole weekend off from the squad and spend time with his children. However, it was now Tuesday and Elliot had returned from the weekend to what he was sure would be another busy week at SVU. But something felt off about today, especially the way that Finn was treating him. Elliot had caught Finn watching him a lot lately, it was almost like Finn knew something which Elliot didn't, but it involved Elliot. Thus, Finn constantly watching him like this was him bracing for the fall out. Elliot shook off his curiousity and just tried to focus on the reports which he still had to write. The last thing he wanted to happen was for Don to be giving him extra grief about his paperwork.

Just as Elliot was working through his large pile of paperwork from previous cases which he was working on before the weekend, he looked up to see all of his colleagues in the squadroom, gazing at the main doorway to the unit. He turned slightly to see what the attention was for, and felt his eyes almost pop out of his head, with his stomach hitting the floor. There was no way that he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing right now. _She _was dead, he'd been to _her_ grave weekly if not numerous times during the week. He was certain that Olivia Benson was dead, that he wasn't actually seeing her standing in the doorway right now.  
"Oh my god, it's really you!" Finn stated, as he stood up from his desk and headed towards the figures in the doorway. Elliot watched the interaction from his desk but spotted the slight movement from down beside her.  
"It's really me" Olivia replied, Elliot found his heart aching with the sound of her voice, it was the exact same sound that used to make his heart want to skip a beat when she so much as called his name. Elliot found two blue eyes staring back at him from the figure by Olivia. The blue eyes belonged to a small brunette girl who was wearing a red dress, the little girl was currently clinging to Olivia's legs, almost for protection. _Olivia is a mother_ Elliot thought as he watched the interactions. The little girl looked to be about 3 years old but she had the bluest eyes and long slightly curly brunet hair, which Olivia was currently running her fingers through as she stood talking with Finn. The more Elliot looked at the little girl, the more adorable he found her.

* * *

"This is my daughter Ella. Ella, honey this is my friend Finn, can you say hi?" Olivia asked as she watched Finn bend down in front of her little girl.  
"Finn, like dolphin?" Ella asked, cautiously looking at the man in front of her. Olivia could tell from the way that Ella continued to cling to her leg that she was uncomfortable and unsure about this man in front of her. She looked up, and spotted Elliot from across the room, she'd felt his eyes on her and knew that he was keeping a distance right now. Even after all this time, she could read his facial expressions like a book, she knew that he was shocked right now. Olivia wanted to go over but knew that the best thing for right now was to wait and give him some space. She turned her attention back to Ella and Finn, Finn seemed to be making progress with Ella and get her talking. Ella was a very shy little girl and Olivia knew that if Finn to have her talking properly like this, it was a big step.  
"Is Cragen in?" Olivia asked, wanting to move away from everyone watching her and Ella right now. But before anyone was able to say anything, the older man she had mentioned made his way out of the office, reviewing a file but stopped in his tracks at all the commotion.  
"Olivia" Don Cragen smiled as he placed down the file and moved over to hug the younger woman. Ella hid in her mothers legs again, slightly confused over who this extra man was in front of her. She'd seen him in photos before but Ella had no idea who this man was.

"Hi Captain" Olivia greeted, trying to things as professional as possible whilst they were in the squadroom with everyone.  
"And this little cutie…Must be Ella?" Don asked as he tried to get the little girls attention, making Ella cling to Olivia more.  
"It is, but I think she's feeling a little shy with all the people around. Is there somewhere more private that we could talk?" Olivia asked. She had one specific question she wanted to ask the older man but she wanted it to be away from everyone else.  
"Come into my office. Elliot, I'm not to be disturbed unless its urgent" Don ordered as he guided Ella and Olivia into his office, closing the door behind them.

* * *

Olivia took a seat in the chair across from Don's desk. Don was sitting behind his desk and Ella had taken a seat on Olivia's lap.  
"So, when did you get back? Today?" Don asked.  
"We arrived early this morning, but we had to go take a nap before we came here" Olivia said as Ella watched the older man.  
"I can't quite believe you're actually back…Or how adorable your little girl is! She definitely has your nose" Don commented, as he looked at Ella.  
"My little El…She has his eyes and chin though along with his temper" Olivia explained, laughing a little and placing a kiss on the side of Ella's head.  
"What is tempa?" Ella spoke up, clearly the little girl had been listening to the whole conversation between the adults right now.  
"It means you're like your daddy when you get angry" Don tried to explain.  
"You know my daddy to?" Ella clarified.  
"I do, I even made sure to be looking out for him while you and your mommy were away" Don stated. He could have spotted Ella as Elliot's daughter from the first moment he saw the little girl, even if Olivia hadn't told him. Don could easily see the similarities between father and daughter, even if others couldn't.

Olivia knew that Ella didn't need to be listening to the whole conversation right now, so she pulled out the coloured pens from her bag and a few pieces of paper which Ella could draw on. The little girl got down from her mothers laps with the pens and paper, making her way over to the desk and standing to draw. Olivia needed a few moments to talk with Don, without the ears of her little girl at the moment and all the questions. The best way to do this, is simply to distract the little girl.  
"So, how is everything Olivia?" Don asked, wanting to know in detail about how she really was. Olivia was very much like a daughter to him and he wanted to properly check in with her now.  
"It's weird and yet completely wonderful at the same time" Olivia answered as she looked out of the office window at the squadroom.  
"I never thought I would get to come back here and yet I'm back and I have my daughter with me. It's hard to describe exactly how that feels" Olivia continued.  
"Well, I'm really glad that you're back and that I have finally met Ella" Don agreed. He had heard about Olivia's pregnancy and birth through her case agent. He'd managed to get a letter to her after pulling a few favours higher up and surprisingly, she had written back with a picture of Ella when she was born.  
"I have to ask, are you going to tell Elliot?" Don asked, knowing the delicacy of the topic and the situation but wanting to know the answer.

_**A/N: What is Olivia going to say? Will Elliot confront Olivia? Hmm i guess you'll have to wait and see.  
Thank you for all of the support on the beginning of this story, there is a lot to come with where I want to take this – we're only just getting started. However, it's not going to be smooth sailing that's for sure. Leave me a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter?  
More soon!  
Until Next Time ;)**_


	3. Confronting the Past

**Confronting the Past**

"_Are you going to tell Elliot?" Don asked, knowing the delicacy of discussing the topic with Olivia._

"I have to, I don't have a choice…Ella needs to properly know her father and not just through seeing a picture and hearing stories" Olivia replied, Ella was the main reason she had really fought so hard to come back to New York. She may have wanted to see all of her friends again and be back in her city but Ella needed to be near her father.  
"Would you like me to be there when you do? The past 4 years have been hard on him" Don suggested.  
"They weren't exactly a walk in the park for me! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell, my emotions are just all over the place with being back…I know he's going to hate me for this" Olivia said as she stood up and walked over to the window, looking back into the squad room.  
"He's not going to hate you, Olivia he's missed you so much, you have no idea. Sure, I think he's going to be shocked but I really don't think that he's going to hate you" Don replied, he hated to see Olivia so torn up like this. But that was a large sign of how deeply she still cared for Elliot.  
"Here, you take Ella to Interrogation 2 and I'll get Elliot. Then I'll be standing right outside should you need me" Cragen compromised, Olivia nodded and helped Ella move to the interrogation room whilst Cragen went to get Elliot.

* * *

Elliot had been watching the door to Don's office the entire time they were in there, waiting for her to come out again. He was prepared to confront her, he wanted answers for everything. He wanted to know where she had been all this time, he wanted to know why everyone thought she had died and yet she was here now, alive. Elliot also wanted to know more about this little girl who was with her. The little girl who couldn't be older than 3 or 4 which meant that either Olivia had been pregnant before she left or she'd had another man get her pregnant shortly after she left, when she 'died'. But these thoughts and getting that information just brought on more questions for Elliot. He really just needed to talk to her, get answers and put all of this to rest for the last time. He wasn't interested in being friends or anything more to her, she had absolutely smashed his heart into a million pieces, but he wanted to know more about her to find out what happened.

However, when Elliot did see Olivia come out of the office with her little girl, they weren't headed in the direction of the exit, they were going towards the interrogation room. _Why would they need the interrogation rooms? _Elliot thought as he watched the pair closely.  
"Elliot, you're needed in interrogation" Don ordered as he approached from his office.  
"Why?" Elliot asked, the interrogation rooms was the direction that Olivia had just headed, why did he suddenly have to be near her this way? He was going to approach her himself, he didn't need to be told by Don where to go.  
"Just do as I say for once and go. You need to talk" Don explained and Elliot wasn't going to continue to fight so he simply got up from his desk and headed in the direction of the interrogation rooms. He knew that Olivia had always had Don wrapped around her finger and clearly she was using this to her advantage now.

* * *

Olivia saw Elliot enter the room, she could tell from Elliot's body language that he had no real interest in being here right now. He stood by the door, giving her a stand-off feeling through his body language and wouldn't move any closer. Elliot wouldn't look directly at her but Olivia could see him watching Ella colouring the paper. _Has he figured it out? _Olivia thought, trying to pick the right moment to speak up right now. Ella looked up from her paper and over to Elliot.  
"Hi" Ella spoke up, clearly she was choosing the moment to start.  
"Hi, my name is Elliot, what might yours be?" Elliot asked, as he continued to watch the girl closely. _He was always good with children _Olivia thought, glad that whilst Elliot might be mad at her, he was very polite to Ella.  
"That sounds like my name! I'm Ella an you look like the man in mommy's picture" Ella stated as she and Elliot both looked over at Olivia. 4 of the same blue eyes looking right at her, the same type of blue staring directly at her and it was almost too much for her to handle.  
"That's right honey, it is the same man" Olivia confirmed to her daughter, focusing on Ella and not Elliot.  
"Ella, honey do you remember the story that I told you when you were little about your daddy?" Olivia asked, hoping maybe getting the story out through Ella would keep things calm in this room. She hoped that Ella could help Elliot to put all the pieces together and not herself, so he wouldn't lose control of his anger. Olivia knew that if this was still the same man she had been partnered with for all those years, he would never lose his temper in front of a young child.  
"You an my daddy work t'gether…But long time go" Ella explained proudly to her mother, Olivia focused on watching Elliot, wondering if he was listening right now.  
"An you tell me my name sounds like my daddy, cause you think I was gon be a boy an you wanted my daddy?" Ella continued to explained. Olivia couldn't help but smile because the little girl had it memorised almost perfectly even though it'd been a while since Olivia last told her the story.

Although Olivia had been in witness protection at the time, she wanted her child to have some kind of a connection to their father. She had at first thought that Ella was goig to be a boy and for the longest time had thought of calling her Eli or Elton because she wanted her child to have that starting 'El'. But when she had found out that baby was a girl, she had changed the name to be Ella and El for short. Olivia hadn't been sure whether they would ever get a chance to come back to New York, if her child would ever get the chance to know their father but she wanted to give her baby a important memory.  
Olivia continued to watch Elliot as Ella was talking, she could tell that he was trying to process everything and work out what to say. She saw it in his eyes the moment all the pieces of the puzzle joined together and he just looked directly over to her. His eyes read that he was angry towards her and in disbelief at what he had just learned. However, she prayed that he would manage to keep everything together and not lose it in front of Ella right now as none of this was ever her fault.

* * *

Elliot could hardly think straight, he felt like his emotions were all over the place and his head was going to explode. He had a daughter, Olivia had been pregnant and had his child. His daughter was sitting right in front of him! In all this time, he'd had a daughter in the world that he had absolutely no idea about until now. Olivia had disappeared and kept his child from him in the process. Ella, with long brown hair and the bluest little eyes, was his own flesh and blood. He looked between Ella and Olivia, trying to work out how to verbalise anything without losing control as he was feeling incredibly hurt, betrayed and angry right now.  
"You kept this from me?" Elliot asked, his icy tone in his voice directed straight at Olivia.  
"I didn't have a choice" Olivia tried to defend.  
"You get pregnant and choose to have my child but don't have a choice to tell me? If you weren't back right now, were you even ever going to tell me?" Elliot asked, clenching his hand into a fist and flattening it out again, trying to remain as calm as possible for Ella.  
"I couldn't tell you where I was, or even that I was actually alive, I didn't have an option to tell you, I wasn't allowed to make contact" Olivia replied, she could feel her blood starting to boil with this confrontation as well but strived to stay calm for Ella.

"Daddy?" Ella spoke up as the two adults fell quiet. Elliot looked over at the little girl and made his way closer to her, from his position by the door. She was his flesh and bloody and he'd never known about her up until now. However now that he knew, he was going to take every opportunity he could get to be with her and get to know her properly.  
"It's me honey" Elliot smiled as he crouched down in front of her chair, Ella smiled back at him and he could see Olivia in her right now with that smile, it was Olivia's smile. The same smile that he adored for so long and felt like he was the only person in the world that ever properly got to see it.  
"Can I have hug?" Ella asked, looking down at Elliot from her chair by the table. Olivia had taught her to always ask for something you want rather than just expecting it, particularly when it involves touching someone else.  
"Of course sweetheart" Elliot agreed and Ella flung out of the chair, into his arms as Elliot placed one hand on the floor just to steady himself from the impact but hugged the little girl close. He glared over at Olivia whilst holding Ella.  
"Ella, why don't you go and see if you can find Don or Finn and let Daddy and I talk for a bit?" Olivia asked, knowing there was still more to be said right now but not wanting Ella to hear it.  
"Ok Momma" Ella replied, pulling back from her father and leaving the room. The door out of the interrogation room was a little bit heavy and so Elliot had made quick time to help her open it before turning back to Olivia.

"I can't believe you! You kept something like this from me" Elliot said as he turned towards Olivia the minute Ella was out of the door. Olivia knew that Don would be preoccupied now with Ella outside and was likely to no longer be listening in on this conversation, she hoped that he had taken Ella away from the window or at the very least turned the speaker off.  
"I told you, I didn't have a choice. You really would have wanted to know about her that much which you put her in danger? Put me in danger? I was just doing as I was told" Olivia replied. She knew that it was unlikely Elliot had the slightest care anymore for her safety or the fact that contacting him would have lead to her possibly getting killed. But she knew that Elliot would care about his daughter being safe.  
"I want part custody…I deserve to see and get to know my daughter" Elliot stated, ignoring the later statement of what Olivia had just said.  
"I would like for nothing more than that, I want her to know you and she wants to know you – that's why I brought her back here, I was never going to keep her from you if I had a say" Olivia replied.  
"I'm going to spend the afternoon with her…you owe me that so don't even try to fight me. Give me your address and I'll make sure to bring her back after dinner" Elliot said as Olivia nodded and wrote something down on a piece of paper next to her and slid it across the metal table.  
"Where are you going to go? This is my new number, should you need it and my new address to bring her back to" Olivia replied, grabbing her bag from beside the table.  
"We won't need it" Elliot commented as Olivia got up to leave. Olivia paused outside of the interrogation room and watched Elliot place his head in his hands by the table. It pained her knowing how much Elliot hated her now, but she was determined to tolerate it and accept that she can't change the past. Ella needed a father and Olivia was going to put up with everything that life would throw at her in terms of Elliot, for Ella to know her father.

_**A/N: Hmm, Elliot and Olivia haven't got off to the best start here. But does Elliot really care so little for Olivia now that he would choose knowing his daughter existed over her safety? Do you think they will ever be able to patch things up?  
Coming up, Ella and Elliot spend time together with some interesting questions.  
Thanks for Reading and let me know what you think by leaving a review? I love to read them, and I love to know what you think about every chapter. Not to mention, if you leave a review it might just have an impact on when I post the next chapter.**_

_**Until next time ;)**_


	4. Getting To Know You

_**A/N: So I just want to apologise for the delay in posting a new chapter, I went away for the weekend and then work has been kind of crazy so whilst I've had this chapter written for a while, I hadn't had the chance to edit it for you all. I also wanted to say welcome to all the new readers who have joined us and thank you for all of you for the lovely reviews, this story is not going to be a quick one and there is a lot of twists and turns coming for our beloved pair of stubborn detectives and their adorable daughter. But enough from me, please enjoy the new chapter!**_

**Chapter 3**

Elliot sat on the park bench, next to Ella who was eagerly eating her way through a choc chip ice cream. He was especially focused on trying to protect her from getting ice cream down her dress, especially as it was such a lovely red one that Olivia would likely kill him if Ella ruined it with ice cream. Elliot and Ella had come to the park as that was where Ella had mentioned she wanted to go when Elliot had asked her exactly where she wanted to go today. They had found an ice-cream stand at the entrance of the park. Ella had politely asked him for ice cream and of course Elliot had given in and bought her an ice cream. He still couldn't quite believe that he had another child and just how perfect this little girl was. But on the other hand, Elliot also hated the fact that because of her mother, he had missed out on so much of Ella's life. Elliot was determined that he would change that all now though, he would not miss a single thing with Ella ever again, as long as he had a say in it.

Elliot couldn't believe how Olivia had kept _such _a secret from him, he couldn't even believe that she was still alive. In the short time they had talked earlier, Olivia had mentioned that she had been serious danger before and that was why she had to lead everyone to think that she was dead and kept everything from him. But she hadn't explained what had happened, she hadn't explained how she had been in danger or why she didn't reach out to him. If he had been given the chance, Elliot would have done everything he could to protect her. Elliot loved Olivia more than anything in the world, he always wanted to protect Olivia. But if Olivia wasn't prepared to tell him about his ow daughter or the danger which was requiring her to disappear, did she really love him as much as she had stated that she did? He clearly didn't understand her at all, at least that was the way it appeared.

"Daddy" Ella spoke up, as finished her ice cream.  
"Yes?" Elliot responded whilst handing her a tissue to wipe her face and hands which were completely covered in ice cream.  
"Are you angy at mommy?" Ella asked, clearly she had been thinking about this for some time just now. Elliot wasn't sure how to respond. He couldn't lie to his daughter, but he also couldn't tell her how angry and hurt he was by her mother at the moment.  
"Why do you ask honey?"  
"It's cause mommy said 'fore we saw you, dat you might get angy at her but love me…an mommy not here now wit us" Ella tried to explain to her new father.  
"Well I wanted to spend some time with just you and I today. But we'll see mommy later" Elliot replied, hoping to get to ignore the earlier question from Ella. Ella seemed to ponder on Elliot's response for a while, leaving Elliot to wonder what Olivia had told Ella about the whole situation.  
"Do you not like to see mommy too?" Ella continued to press and Elliot didn't know how to respond to this.  
"How about we get you cleaned up and go on the playground together for a bit?" Elliot asked, trying to divert the little girls attention. Thankfully, she was at an age where that really wasn't too hard to actually do by bringing her attention to something else. Ella wiped her hands properly on the tissue which Elliot had given her, before Elliot guided her towards the playground they were sitting at, promising to push her on the swings first.

* * *

Meanwhile, Olivia was back at her new apartment, she thought the rest of the afternoon would be her perfect time to get some of her things unpacked and settled in. Olivia wanted to get a large start on Ella's room, to give her a nice surprise to come home from today. Olivia had already set up the bed, which had arrived and she was now working on putting away all of Ella's clothes into the drawers and wardrobe. Olivia couldn't help but think about the first time she had brought Ella home from the hospital and how tiny she had been then. Everything back then was so new and daunting, she had a big brand new responsibility for this little person. Olivia had to learn about being a mother as she went along, there was no one she could ask. Things for them back then certainly hadn't been perfect but Olivia was grateful for Ella each and every day then and still is now.

Olivia picked up the next shirt to put away and couldn't help but smile at the shirt. It was a small shirt that read _'My Daddy is my superhero' _with a police badge down the bottom and a clip on cape. Ella had known about Elliot since she was young, Olivia had never hid what he looked like or what he did from her. Olivia had grown up without a father and she was not going to have the same for her daughter, even if she was never able to come back to New York. She wanted Ella to know about Elliot. The shirt that Olivia was holding was Ella's favourite shirt, admittedly it was probably a bit small for her now with the growth spurt that she'd gone through lately. When they lived in Florida, it was the only shirt that Ella wanted to wear for the longest time. Olivia was intrigued to see Elliot's reaction to the shirt whenever Ella decides to wear this shirt next. Olivia could accept it if Elliot hated her for the rest of her life, she wouldn't like it but she could take it but she hoped the shirt would show how she never kept him from Ella's life. However, she hoped that Elliot and Ella were getting along and having a great time together, she wanted the best for Ella and she wanted her to be close to her father. Olivia wanted the world for her special little girl and that started with Elliot.

_FLASHBACK_

It was 2 am, Olivia had been through a rather long first day back at work with her clients. She'd left Ella with the nanny but things were rough for the pair when Olivia got home earlier that evening. Ella hadn't been able to settle at all unless Olivia had been holding her but through that Olivia didn't get to do anything else she needed to. Raising a baby alone is a big challenge and Olivia really wasn't sure if she was up to all of this. Olivia eventually managed to get Ella to sleep at around 10:30 but she woke up again only just over an hour later. However she had quickly settled when she was in Olivia's arms, being rocked back and forth slowly in the nursery. She looked up at Olivia with her prefect light blue eyes but Olivia could see that the little girl was fighting a losing battle and sleep was starting to claim her.  
"You really do look like our daddy little one. I know that if he were here right now, if he could know you were here then he would be so very much in love with you" Olivia cooed down at Ella.  
"Don't worry though, I promise you that I will never keep you from him. I will do everything in my power to get you back to New York one day and bring you to him. I don't know if this is ever going to be possible but for you, I'm going to try" Olivia promised, vowing it more to herself than to Ella.  
"Your daddy is a hero little one, he saves and protects people when they need it. He used to be my protector…my knight in shining armour. I know he would do anything to keep those that he loves safe, and one day I'm sure that will include you" Olivia explained, her attention turning from her sleepy little girl, looking up at her, to the image of Elliot and her at their old precinct, sitting on the bedside table near the lamp, next to her rocking chair. There was absolutely nothing she wouldn't give to be back there right now with Ella

_END FLASHBACK_

Olivia remembered the long nights she spent awake with Ella when she wouldn't sleep, thinking about Elliot. Olivia often found herself thinking about what he was doing or if he was happy again. She would think about if he ever thought of her, though she imagined that he wouldn't as she was supposed to be dead after all. Olivia had often wondered on those long nights, if Elliot went back to Kathy or if he had found someone new to make him happy. Whatever he had been up to, Olivia had prayed that he would be happy, his happiness was one of the most important things to her.

* * *

Elliot walked up the apartment stairs, carrying a rather sleepy Ella in his arms, he had forgotten how easily tired young children get. It was only 6:30pm but Ella was almost completely asleep on his shoulder. Before he knew about Ella, Eli was Elliot's youngest child who is now 7 and Elliot honestly often has a hard time getting him to even go to bed. Elliot and Ella had a big afternoon today though with everything at the precinct, and then ice-cream and then the park which was followed by McDonalds for dinner before heading home. Elliot wasn't surprised that she was tired now. But he had really enjoyed spending the afternoon together and getting to know his little girl like this. He had really learnt a lot about her and seen her personality come through today. Elliot was taking the day off work tomorrow as well now and wanted to spend the whole day with Ella again. The pair had even talked about taking the subway to central park and going to the zoo together as Ella had told him that she wanted to see the animals.

Elliot knocked on Olivia's front door before adjusting Ella in his arms whilst he waited for Olivia to answer the door. As Olivia greeted him, he saw her dressed rather casual and couldn't help but admire how nice she looked. Olivia was dressed in a simple t shirt and some rather old looking jeans with her hair up loosely. Elliot thought she looked as beautiful now as she always had but he knew he wasn't supposed to think like that. He knew that he was still supposed to be upset and hurt by her actions, he wanted to be angry to her but deep down he had to admit that he still felt love towards her and he probably always would.  
"Hey" Olivia greeted, standing to the side to let Elliot come in, he stayed glued to the spot.  
"You want to come in or something?" Olivia asked and Elliot could tell that she was confused by his behaviour right now.  
"No, just wanted to bring Ella back to you. I have the day off tomorrow, so I was going to take her to the zoo for the day" Elliot replied, his tone less than friendly.  
"Ok, she'll love that" Olivia replied as she took Ella into her arms from Elliot.  
"I know she will, we talked about it. I'll be here for her at 9am and we won't be back till late but just like tonight, she won't need dinner"  
"Elliot, she's only little, how late are we talking?" Olivia asked, it was 6:30 and Ella was already asleep, she couldn't handle too much more if they were going to have a big day.  
"She's my daughter too, you kept her from me all these years, I can keep her tomorrow however long I want. We'll be back by 9pm at the latest"  
"It's nearly 7pm now and look at her, she's asleep. Do you really want to keep her out later than this again? I don't think that's wise" Olivia tried to argue but noting to keep her voice down for her neighbours.  
"Just have her ready by 9am for me" Elliot stated before walking off. Olivia closed the door, took a deep breath and focused on getting Ella to bed.

_**A/N: What did you think of this chapter? What do you think Ella and Elliot are going to get up to next? Are Elliot and Olivia ever going to get along or not? Let me know what you think in the reviews please ;)  
**__**Until Next Time ;)**_


	5. My apologies

Hey Guys,

i just wanted to i guess give you a message that i havent forgotten about you and there is an update coming soon. My laptop has broken down and I am currently in the process of replacing it and this is why I haven't updated recently. But I should be getting the replacement hopefully tomorrow (fingers crossed) and so the update should come soon after that (tomorrow or day after most likely). It's already written and sitting in a notebook on my desk. I just don't have what I need to be able to type it out and upload, and writing it all out on my phone would take me as long as it would to get a new laptop. However as soon as I am able to, I will get a new chapter out for you - I quite like the chapter which is coming and a little teaser - things are going to take a turn for our little trio soon.

Thank you for all your reviews and welcome to all the new readers - I'm glad you're enjoying my story. Sorry about the delay but thanks for your patience.

Until Next Time ;)


	6. Father Daughter Time

**Chapter 4**

Elliot was back at Olivia's front door by 9am the following morning. He was ready for another fun-filled day with Ella and she was already prepared for another day exploring her new city with her new father. Olivia packed the little girl a bag, with everything that she would likely need that day, including a whole second outfit should anything happen to the first one that she was currently wearing. 3 year olds tend to be very unpredictable with daily events or behaviours and anything could happen whilst they were out. But as Olivia wouldn't be there to help her daughter, she could only provide everything that Ella might need and hope that Elliot would know how to handle things if something were to go wrong today. He did have 5 children already, but it had been a little while since he'd been around a young girl with all their needs.

Olivia watched the pair leave, giving Ella one last big hug before going with Elliot, Olivia really hoped that they would have a great day together. She then set about continuing to unpack her apartment and create a home for her and Ella. Olivia was planning to meet with Don this afternoon to catch up over a coffee, which was something they were both needing. Ella would be spending all her time with Elliot today, until late tonight and so it was the perfect time for Olivia to catch up with Don when she had the entire day to herself. But there was one downside to her having the whole day to herself, Olivia was back in a city where most of the people whom she had once called her friends, now thought that she was dead. Friends who before would have loved the chance to catch up with her before, now wouldn't believe that she would even be here right now as she had died several years ago and they had been to the funeral. Olivia knew that she really needed to try and get back in touch with them, prove that she was really alive and they could rebuild the friendships they once had. Of course, that would only really stand a chance at working if Elliot hadn't already contacted all of them to tell about the liar that she was and turned them away from her. Olivia wouldn't be surprised if he had done that, particularly with how angry he had been towards her when he'd found out that she was alive.

Olivia just hoped, that with time, everything would be work itself out perfectly fine. She was back in New York now and she was going to stay here as long as she could. Olivia wanted to bring Ella back to the world that she had once lived in and where Olivia was born, she just hoped that her friends would come around too with time, she hoped that Ella would come to know the extensive family that Olivia had come to know in her time at special victims.

* * *

Ella walked along the path, holding Elliots hand and looking at the new world around her. The little girl was intrigued at all the new things in the world around her at the moment, it was all so new and interesting. Elliot took such intense pride in being the one to introduce the little girl to this big new city. There was so much of her life that he had missed out on, for reasons out of his actual control, but he was glad to have this chance with her now. New York was where she should have started her life and grown up, where she should have had the chance to grow up knowing both her loving parents. But obviously, due to Olivia that didn't happen and so now Elliot had to introduce New York to Ella and help her know somewhere that really was home.  
"Daddy?" Ella spoke up and Elliot looked down at his little girl. It was still kind of surreal to hear the little girl call him that and to think that he was a dad again.  
"Why does this pace smell funny?" Ella asked, to which Elliot couldn't help but chuckle a little at her wording of that question and how openly honest it was. She wasn't wrong. There was definitely a particular smell that inhabited New York, though over the years Elliot had grown accustomed to the smell, which he figured would be particularly strong for Ella.  
"I don't know honey" Elliot replied, honestly.  
"But you lived here more than me…" Ella continued.  
"That doesn't mean I know the answer…Sometimes there are things which happen that we don't know the reason behind" Elliot tried to explain, wanting to keep it an explanation that Ella would be able to understand.  
"But mommy said you know" Ella retaliated again.  
"Did she now, hmm…Well I don't know the answer for you, I'm sorry honey" Elliot continued, as they arrived outside the subway station. Elliot knew that he should carry Ella from here as the Subway could be a particularly dangerous place for young children with so many people moving in all directions at once.

* * *

Olivia walked into the squadroom of the Special Victims Unit, she could clearly smell that familiar odour of day old coffee that was likely made by Munch. It brought a sense of comfort to her, and proved that little had changed in the time that she was gone. She looked around the squadroom and saw an unfamiliar blonde just sitting in what used to be her old desk. Don's office door was closed and so Olivia figured that he must still be in a meeting or attending to something at the moment. But Olivia didn't mind, she was in absolutely not rush so she didn't mind waiting a little. Olivia didn't know the blonde lady but figured that this had to be Elliot's new partner, either the one that came to the unit directly after she left or the one after that.

The layout of the squadroom itself hadn't changed much though, in the time that she'd been gone and Olivia was sure if she walked over to Elliot's desk now, she would still see the pictures of his children framed there. Olivia wondered if there would be a day in the future that Ella would be in a frame on Elliot's desk.  
"Can I help you?" A voice spoke up from across the room for Olivia, drawing her out of her thoughts. Olivia turned to see that same blonde detective she'd seen as she entered, now talking to her.  
"You were here the other day! With the little girl?" the blonde continued.  
"Yes, that was my daughter, Ella" Olivia responded, trying to remain civil even though she didn't particularly feel like small talk at the moment.  
"She's adorable" the blonde and Olivia just smiled, praying that Don's door would open soon.

Sure enough, just as Olivia went to respond to Amanda, Don's door opened and he walked out. Olivia smiled at the blonde detective with the southern accent but made her way to Don. As Olivia approached, Don invited her into his office and all the chat in the squadroom ceased.  
"Sorry to keep you waiting, where's Ella?" Don apologised as Olivia took a seat by his desk.  
"With her father for the day, I believe that the plan was to go to the zoo and meet her new siblings" Olivia explained, noticing the glimpse of surprise on Don's face.  
"Wow, second day in the city and meeting the other stabler children" Don remarked.  
"So, who's the blonde? Elliot's new partner?" Olivia changed the discussion topic.  
"Not quite new, but how about we go and grab that coffee we talked about and I'll fill you in on it all" Don suggested, as he grabbed his coat and the pair headed out.

* * *

Central Park zoo was busier than Elliot remembered it being, but he could clearly see the joy at looking at all the animals all over Ella's face. It was almost like she was on cloud 9 with everything today. His children were going to meet them for dinner and then Elliot was going to take everyone. Ella hadn't had a nap today and Elliot knew that was his fault with planning. But he hoped that with an early dinner, Ella would be able to hold everything together, till he got the little girl back to her mother. Elliot didn't really care after that because he knew htat Ella would be safe with Olivia and she could handle it fine, she had till now.

Elliot carried Ella up the road, towards the diner that he'd arranged to meet at with the older children. It was closer to Kathy's place than Olivia's but that was the reason they had picked it. Maureen was going to be bringing Eli from Kathy's place and they didn't want to go too far and risk being late home was supposed to be staying with Elliot this weekend and if all was to go well tonight, Elliot hoped that he could be with both Eli and Ella this weekend.  
"Daddy, we go home now?" Ella asked, leaning her head on his shoulder as he carried her.  
"Not just yet. We need to have dinner and I have a few people I want you to meet" Elliot explained, hoping she could hold it together for just a little bit longer.  
"I wanna see mommy" Ella replied.  
"After dinner we will" Elliot said, as they approached the diner. He could see Maureen, Kathleen and Eli already standing outside waiting. He smiled and Eli waved back. Elliot could see the confused faces on the older girls right now though.

"Daddy!" Eli called as they approached. Elliot felt Ella tense up in his arms. He placed his second hand on her and took a deep breath.  
"Who's that?" Eli asked, referring to who he was carrying.  
"This is Ella, Ella can you say hi?" Elliot asked and Ella hid her face in his shoulder, shaking her head.  
"Ella, this is Eli. He is your brother" Elliot stated as Kathleen and Maureen approached the trio, just up from the diner.  
"I wan go home" Ella mumbled, all attention on the little girl now.  
"We can't go home now honey, we have to dinner and I want you to meet Eli and your sisters" Elliot explained as the 3 other Stabler children just watched on, slightly confused over what was currently going on. Elliot was just trying to avoid a melt down with the young girl.  
"I wan Mommy" Ella started to cry.  
"Hey now, we don't need the tears. I'm right here, We'll have dinner and then I promise you I'll take you home" Elliot tried to soothe but it really didn't help.  
"Mommy…I wan mommy" Ella continued to cry. Elliot had really made a mess of this now and he hated that his little girl was so upset.

Kathleen signalled that they would take Eli inside and let Elliot deal with this situation as Elliot nodded and continued trying to soothe Ella. But the more he tried, the more wound up she got and started to wriggle in his arms, as if she was trying to get away. Ella had practically hit full meltdown mode when Elliot knew that it just had to call Olivia. He'd barely said anything and Olivia just told him that she was on her way. It was like she could tell that her daughter needed her right now. Olivia asked him for the address of where they currently were and then to be put on to Ella. Elliot wasn't sure what it was that Olivia did but the more Olivia spoke to the little girl on the phone, the more she started to calm down which left Elliot feeling rather embarrassed. He had not been able to calm Ella down and he had the other kids sitting in the diner feeling confused. Elliot had really made a mess of things tonight, that was for sure.

_**A/N: Uh Oh, well that clearly didn't go well. Elliot clearly has good intentions but I'm not sure everyone sees it that way. How is Olivia going to respond? Guess you'll have to wait till the next chapter to find out.  
**__**Let me know your thoughts on this chapter in the reviews, they honestly make my day!  
**__**Until Next Time ;)**_


	7. Expectations

**Expectations**

Olivia wasn't the least big surprised when the call came in, she figured it would when Elliot and Ella had left this morning. The minute the call from him came, she'd rushed outside and hailed a cab. She got the address from Elliot and once she was on her way, she managed to speak with Ella. It was in the short discussion with Ella and by asking the right questions, Olivia found out exactly what had happened and numerous things about how Ella was feeling right now. Olivia had found out, Elliot and Ella hadn't stopped all day, Ella didn't get her nap today and Elliot had taken her to dinner with a group of people whom she didn't know. Ella didn't really take groups of people whom she didn't know well when she was perfectly rested, she was worse when she hadn't slept all day. Olivia knew that Elliot only wanted the best for Ella but he clearly couldn't see things from a 3 year old's perspective. It had been a while since Elliot had a kid quite so young, so he had forgotten what young children need and that he can't take a 3 year old out all day without time for a nap.

As the cab pulled up to the kerb, Olivia asked the cab driver to wait and scanned the sidewalk. She spotted Elliot standing to the side, holding Ella. Olivia could tell from reading their body language, Ella was unmfortable but Elliot was trying to calm her. He clearly knew that he'd made a mistake tonight, Olivia just hoped that he didn't take her behaviour personally. Ella wasn't upset with Elliot, she was just over tired. Olivia walked over to the pair and smiled sympathetically at Elliot.  
"Momma" Ella called as she spotted her mother standing in front of them.  
"Hey little bug, you ready to go home?" Olivia aske das Elliot transferred Ella to Olivia's arms.  
"Say bye to daddy" Olivia said but Ella just hid her face in Olivia's shoulder as the pair made the way back to the taxi, leaving Elliot to deal with the others inside the diner.

* * *

Maureen had already ordered dinner for Eli and chips for them to share, by the time Elliot joined them. It was a school night and they couldn't be out too late. She could read the embarrassment on her fathers face and felt sorry for him but was confused at the same time. He'd turned up with a young child whom none of them knew or recognised. Kathleen nudged her to say something but Maureen was trying to pick her moment and held back. She'd heard him tell the little girl that she, Kathleen and Eli were her sibling, which meant the little girl was Elliot's daughter. But then who's daughter did that make her?

"Where did Ella go?" Eli asked as Eli took a sip from his water, breaking the silence which had fallen over all of them.  
"She had to go home with her mommy, she was very tired and not ready for dinner" Elliot tried to explain.  
"Will we see her again?" Eli continued to ask, clearly very interested in the little girl that had been with his father.  
"Hopefully….she is your sister"  
"Who with?" Kathleen asked, cutting straight to the point. Kathleen wasn't interested in all this small talk, Elliot had some explaining to do. Elliot took a deep breath, trying to work out the best way forward at the moment.  
"Olivia" Elliot replied to which Maureen almost choked on her drink.  
"I'm sorry, what?" Maureen coughed.  
"Olivia died daddy, you can't have Ella and Olivia" Eli remarked, confused with what was being discussed right now. Elliot had taken him to visit Olivia's grave numerous times since she died.  
"I thought that too buddy, but she didn't" Elliot said, focusing his attention on Eli right now rather than his older girls and how they were reacting to this.  
"You knocked up Olivia? Mom is gonna have a field day on this!" Kathleen replied.  
"That's enough! I won't have you talking so poorly about Olivia…I will tell your mother about this when I'm ready…as well as your brother and sister, so you can't say anything"  
"So…Richard was right all along – you cheated on Mom with Olivia, just like we all always thought you would but didn't want to believe" Maureen stated, struggling to comprehend everything at the moment.  
"I would nev-"  
"Dad, Olivia had your kid – you had to play a role?" Kathleen interrupted, very familiar with how babies were made.  
"But I didn't have an _affair_ with Olivia! What we ha-had was fater your mother and I were divorced" Elliot tried to explain.  
"Yet we all thought she was dead…What's going on here dad?" Maureen asked.  
"I don't know…Just like all of you, I don't know what the story is here" Elliot replied as they went about ordering food for the rest of the group and changing topic for discussion.

* * *

Olivia sat on the couch in the living room of her apartment, she had Ella's baby book and a box of letters that she'd written, sitting next to her. The letters were the same ones that Olivia had written at almost every stage of Ella's life up to this point, including when Olivia was pregnant with her. Olivia had written them as if she could send them all to Elliot every so often, like she could tell him everything about the pregnancy, openly. But obviously, she never had actually sent them and it was unlikely at the time that she would ever have been able to – until now. Olivia wanted Elliot to have them now though, he served to have them and see that he was never intentionally going ot be kept from knowing his daughter. But she wasn't sure the best way to give them to him considering Olivia knew that Elliot could not stand her at the moment. Then again, after his actions today, Olivia was rather upset with him too – just in a different way.

Funnily enough, just as Olivia had been lost in her thoughts about Elliot and the letters, his name flashed up on her phone – he was calling her.  
"Hello?" Olivia greeted, it was rather late and Ella was already fast asleep, so Olivia hoped that he wasn't calling now to speak to her.  
"Hi Olivia, it's Elliot" Elliot greeted, the greeting sounded weird but neither was sure how to go about this at the moment.  
"So it is…" Olivia replied, not helping progress the conversation and unsure where Elliot was trying to go in this call.  
"How's Ella? Did you two get home ok?" Elliot asked, Olivia could tell he was trying to make conversation but she wasn't having it. Particularly with the way that he had been treating her these past couple of days.  
"She fell asleep in the tax and went straight to bed when we got back, she is completely exhausted" Olivia explained.  
"I really stuffed up…She was so scared tonight and I didn't do anything, I didn't know what to do" Elliot tried to explained, Olivia could hear the regret in his voice.  
"She's 3 and a half, you took her out all day with no nap and then to a place with lots of people she doesn't know. Of course she got scared"  
"I just wanted to have my kids together…make up for the lost time"  
"Not all at once you shouldn't have…Ella is still getting know you and you decide introducing her to all these new people is a good idea? What did you really think was going to happen?"  
"and who's fault is that? Who is to blame for the fact that _my_ daughter doesn't know me?" Elliot complained, Olivia wasn't going to get into that with him tonight though, she was simply too tired.

"I'm not going into that now…It's late. Ella and I are going to have a couple of lazy days and catch up with ourselves…you can see her later" Olivia replied, she wasn't going to fight.  
"You can't stop me from seeing my daughter" Elliot responded and Olivia could hear the anger in his voice.  
"I never would but we've all had a big few days…Go back to work, we will do our own thing for a couple of days and we'll try again at the weekend" Olivia tried to explain. She wasn't telling him that he couldn't see Ella at all but at least for a couple of days apart might do everyone some good. Particularly Ella, as there had been so much going on in the past few days for such a little person.  
"I'll fight you for custody! You can't dictate when I can and when I can't see my daughter when I didn't even know till now, that she was alive – You kept that from me with wherever the hell you've been" Elliot almost shouted over the phone. This was getting personal, Olivia wasn't sure how much more of this she could take tonight.  
"You can try if you really want but I'm not sure how it will go against someone who carried her alone for 9 months, laboured through childbirth for 16 hours to bring her into this work with numerous complications and then raised her every day of her life. All of this whilst being in witness protection as something wanted to kill her! I'm not trying to stop you as you're the best father any little girl could wish for BUT ONE DAY APART AT LEAST TO LET HER REST, ISN'T GOING TO KILL YOU" Olivia yelled through the phone before hanging up the call.

That really wasn't the way that Olivia wanted him to find out about everything, in fact she hadn't wanted to yell at him at all. But Elliot was throwing punches and threatening for custody so she had no choice. She threw her phone at on the coffee table and looked down at her box of letters. The Olivia who wrote them had pined and prayed Elliot would be with her and help her raise Elliot, that Olivia wanted Elliot to know every stage of his child's life. But right at that moment, Olivia couldn't care less about him. Elliot was playing the victim right now with no regard or care for her or what even happened. Olivia knew this part of coming back and would be hard, but she never thought that it would be quite this hard. She grabbed the box and headed to her bedroom, all she wanted to do was curl up and cry for what could have been and what is now.

_**A/N: Sorry for the long delay between chapters, life got a little crazy and I haven't had much time to write lately. However I'm going to be on holiday in a couple of weeks, so hopefully that will give me more time to write. I do plan on having at least 1 more chapter up for you during the next week though. Let me know what you thought about this chapter? Is Elliot being too harsh or is Olivia being fair to have a couple of days apart from Elliot, for her and Ella?  
Until next time ;)**_


End file.
